Virology

In this advanced course, we will study viruses at the levels of their molecular biology and genetics, and their interactions with the host organism. Our coverage will focus almost entirely on viruses that infect humans and cause serious disease. We will take a comparative approach, and ask questions from a biophysical and evolutionary perspective.

Useful websites for up-to-date viral disease information are the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (including its journal Emerging Infectious Diseases) and the World Health Organization. Lehigh has electronic subscriptions to many journals publishing new virology research; the ones we will use the most are Science , the Nature journals (including Nature Medicine) , Journal of Virology , Journal of General Virology , Virology , and Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Grading : Half of your grade will be based on participation, discussions, assignments, quizzes, and presentations during the semester: 1. "professional level discussion/assignment" days during January and February; 2. "short journal article" presentations in late March and early April; 3. "long journal article presentations" in mid-late April; and 4. "announced quizzes" as deemed appropriate. The other half of your grade will be based on a final exam in May. You should establish a notebook for all of the material in this course. Build the notebook into a thorough, complete document (your own "2007 Virology Textbook") by the end of the semester. The final exam will be "open notebook".
 

Jan 15             Course Organization and Introduction

Jan 17             Introduction (continued), with Biophysical Calculations

Jan 19             Virus Classification and Structures

Jan 22             Virus Classification and Structures (continued)

Jan 24             Attachment and Penetration into Cells

Jan 26             Professional-level Discussion and/or Assignment

Jan 29             Replication of Herpesviruses (dsDNA genome)

Jan 31             Replication of Poxviruses (dsDNA genome)

Feb. 2              Professional-level Discussion and/or Assignment

Feb. 5              Replication of Picornaviruses (Pos.-sense ssRNA genome)

Feb. 7              Replication of Orthomyxoviruses (Neg.-sense ssRNA genome)

Feb. 9              Professional-level Discussion and/or Assignment           

Feb 12             Replication of Reoviruses (dsRNA genome)

Feb 14             Replication of Retroviruses (ssRNA genome, reverse transcribing)

Feb 16             Professional-level Discussion and/or Assignment

Feb 19             Immune Response to Viral Infection      

Feb 21             Viral Vaccines      

Feb 23             Professional-level Discussion and/or Assignment     

Feb 26            Antiviral Drugs

Feb 28            Antiviral Drugs (cont.)

Mar. 2            Spring Break begins.   Information for March 28-April 27 Presentations

Mar 12           Influenza Epidemiology and Evolution

Mar 14           Influenza Epidemiology and Evolution (continued)               

Mar 16           Influenza Epidemiology and Evolution (continued)

Mar 19           HIV Epidemiology and Evolution, Part 1

Mar 21           HIV Epidemiology and Evolution, Part 2

Mar 23           HIV Epidemiology and Evolution, Part 3

Mar 26           Discussion Day prior to Emerging Infectious Diseases Presentations

Mar 28           Alyssa Nielubowicz presents Emonet et al., EID, March 2007.
                        Amy Johnston presents Dussart et al., EID, November 2006.

Mar 30            Alanna Nattis presents Lazaro et al., EID, January 2007.
                        Christa Buckheit presents Tomkins et al., EID, March 2007.

Apr. 2              Brittany Grier presents Knezevic et al., EID, February 2007.
                        Daniel Rowles presents Straub et al., EID, March 2007.

Apr. 4              Ashley DeBarba presents Dietz et al., EID, January 2007.
                        Mike DeVito presents Wallensten et al., EID, March 2007.

Apr. 6              Heather Wilson presents Nadin-Davis et al., EID, January 2007.
                        Jamie Wohlhagen presents Mizutani et al., EID, February 2007.        

Apr. 9              Aalok Shah presents Leschnik et al., EID, February 2007. 
                        Everyone does a two minute summary of their EID article.

Apr 11             Discussion Day prior to 2007 Major Journal Article Presentations

Apr 13             No Class: Presidential Inauguration Day

Apr 16             Britanny Grier presents Cocklin et al., J. Virology, 81: 3645-3648 (2007).

Apr 18             Ashley DeBarba presents Ehrhardt et al., J. Virology, 81: 3058-3067 (2007).
                        Amy Johnston presents Munoz et al., J. Infectious Diseases, 195: 1294-1302 (2007).

Apr 20             Heather Wilson presents Duerst and Morrison, Virology, 360: 322-328 (2007).
                        Christa Buckheit presents Huthoff and Malim, J. Virology, 81: 3807-3815 (2007).

Apr 23             Alanna Nattis presents Smirnov et al., Virology, 360: 6-16 (2007).
                        Daniell Rowles presents Xiao et al., Virology, 359: 382-396 (2007).

Apr 25             Alyssa Nielubowicz presents Orynbayeva et al., J. Virology, 81: 1140-1147 (2007).
                        Mike DeVito presents Müller et al., J. Virology, 81: 2391- 2400 (2007).

Apr 27             Jamie Wohlhagen presents Bitko et al., J. Virology, 81: 783-790 (2007).
                         Aalok Shah presents Ge et al., J. Virology, 81: 150-158 (2007).